Jiminy Cricket
“''I dub you Pinocchio's conscience, lord high keeper of the knowledge of right and wrong, counselor in moments of high temptation, and guide along the straight and narrow path. Arise, Sir Jiminy Cricket.” ―The Blue Fairy. '''Jiminy Cricket' is a small cricket and the deuteragonist of the 1940 Disney animated feature film, Pinocchio. Serving as the official conscience to the film's protagonist, Pinocchio, Jiminy is tasked with keeping the wooden boy in line, teaching him valuable life morals and the dangers of temptation, all the while adding a wise-cracking, comedic element to the story. He has appeared along with Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell as a Disney company mascot. Background Development Jiminy is based off the Talking Cricket from the original Pinocchio book that Walt Disney's film is based on. In the book, the cricket tries to lecture Pinocchio about his bad behavior, only to be flattened with a hammer for his efforts, and then come back as an equally preachy ghost. However in the film, the cricket is named Jiminy and instead of being a cameo character, he was made into a major character and joins Pinocchio on his journey to becoming a real boy. According to Walt Disney and the filmmakers, Jiminy's role in the film was meant to develop the heart of the story in the friendship between him and Pinocchio. Jiminy was animated by one of Walt Disney's Nine Old Men, Ward Kimball. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, ''Ward animated a soup eating scene. The scene was eventually dropped and Ward was devastated. Walt realized this and decided to give Ward the job of designing and animating Jiminy Cricket. Like every animated Disney character, Jiminy went through an evolution of designs. Some of the earliest ones resembled more of a realistic cricket. According to Ward, this was a disgusting sight, so he made the character more and more of a cartoonish and sweet-looking creature to the point that the audience only knows he's a cricket because the film tells them. Jiminy's name also has an interesting backstory. "'Jiminy Cricket(s)!'" was originally a polite expletive euphemism for Jesus Christ. The name of the character is a play on the exclamation (which itself was uttered in Pinocchio's immediate predecessor, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Another example occurs in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz when the group first enters the Wizard's chamber; they are startled by the Wizard's sudden thunder-and-lightning display, and cries, "Oh! Oh! Jiminy Crickets!" (Garland also says the expression in her 1938 film Listen, Darling). It had also been used as an exclamation by the Swedish father several times in the 1930 movie ''Anna Christie. Another time it is used is in the short 1938 cartoon starring Mickey Mouse Brave Little Tailor. That expression is also Howard Cunningham's catchphrase on Happy Days. Personality Being an official conscience, Jiminy is rather wise and optimistic. He can be a bit aggressive when upset, but means well. Not only is he Pinocchio's conscience, but also his best friend, a relationship he apparently treasures. The two spend much of their time together to the point that Jiminy feels insulted and rejected when Pinocchio briefly called Lampwick his best friend. When first introduced, Jiminy was shown to be rather wise-cracking and humorous, often making jokes to amuse himself. Prior to meeting Pinocchio, Jiminy was sort of a realist and did not believe in fairy tales and wishes. Of course, after the adventure with him and the little wooden boy, Jiminy's view of the world changed greatly. The cricket holds an obvious crush on The Blue Fairy. He often gets dumbfounded upon the mere sight of her. In spite of his naturally diminutive states, Jiminy shows no fear in facing enemies thrice his size as seen when he tried to get Pinocchio away from Honest John and Gideon and when he wanted to scuffle with Lampwick, not to mention his efforts to get Monstro to swallow him in order to save his wooden friend (he even raps on the whale's teeth with his umbrella and calls him "Blubbermouth"!) and he is shown to have a weakness for beautiful women, as he didn't want to see Pinocchio's performance until the female puppets came out. Jiminy is also naïve as he thinks some of Geppetto's toys are alive. For example Jiminy says "beg your pardon" to a female doll after resting his hand on her bottom. Family According to the 1956 TV special On Vacation with Mickey Mouse and Friends, Wilbur the Grasshopper, who made his first appearance in the 1939 Goofy short Goofy and Wilbur, is Jiminy Cricket's nephew. In The Giant Walt Disney Word Book (1972), Jiminy Cricket's family tree was published as a two-page illustration. This poster meant the first appearance of Jiminy's parents and siblings, as well as all the Cricket generations up and until Jiminy's great-great grandfather. Notably, all the members of the tree remained unnamed and Wilbur the Grasshopper didn't appear on the tree. Appearances Video Games Disney's Villains' Revenge Jiminy stars in the 1999 PC game Disney's Villains' Revenge. The Disney Villains change their respective stories giving them the upper hand. Jiminy travels through the stories to save the troubled heroes. Kingdom Hearts series Jiminy plays a generally minor role in the popular video game series. After his world was destroyed by the Heartless, Jiminy seeked refuge in Disney Castle, under the care of King Mickey and Queen Minnie. He later joins Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy to guide them throughout the journey and chronicle their adventures. Throughout the series, Jiminy plays a few key roles. In the original Kingdom Hearts, he played a large role throughout the storyline following the adventures of the characters of lore of the film Pinocchio. He played a larger role, appearing more frequently, in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. Notably, in Kingdom Hearts II, Jiminy's journal was greatly expanded. As far as the game's storyline goes, he made one brief appearance during Sora's awakening in Twilight Town. However, in the HD re-release of the game, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Jiminy made a reappearance during Sora's visit to the Mysterious Tower; home of Master Yen Sid. In Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded, Jiminy finds a mysterious entry within his journal, which he doesn't recall recording. Because of this, he immediately reports to King Mickey and explains his confusion. After a little investigation, however, it is revealed that the journal has been corrupt, and to restore it, a date version of Sora is created to enter the journal and eliminate the Bug Blocks. Jiminy returns in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and plays his first role as a supporting character within his home world, as opposed to a character taking part in the story's overall plot. He appears in the world of Prankster's Paradise, frantically trying to retrieve and care for a mischievous Pinocchio.